His Ring, Her Baby ~ Maxine Sullivan

Silhouette Desire
April 2010 (USA) / May 2010 (ANZ)

Wanted: One Wedding Ring…For Now
The job title was housekeeper, not fiancée! But billionaire cattleman Kirk Deverill couldn’t throw the lovely single mom off his ranch. Especially when he knew the job would help her keep her son. Of course, the eligible bachelor hadn’t expected her to tell everyone she was also Kirk’s bride-to-be!

He agreed to Vanessa’s ruse for her adorable son’s sake. And for the opportunity to claim some “husbandly” pleasures. Of course, making their fake engagement a real union was never going to happen.  The Outback loner had his reasons… and even the most desirable of women wouldn’t get him to change his mind.

Buy from:
eHarlequin ~ Book Depository ~  BN ~ Powells ~ Amazon

as an ebook:
eHarlequin ~ Fictionwise ~ Books on Board ~ Kindle

_________________________________________________________________________________________

“Charming, funny, poignant and sizzling, Sullivan’s story is one terrifically steamy romance. Widow Vanessa Hamilton is recovering from the sudden death of her police officer husband, and starting her life over, out from under the shadow of her pushy in-laws. All she wants is a safe place to raise her son. Ranger Kirk Deverill is in sudden need of a housekeeper and, though he believes Vanessa manipulated the situation, he’s ready to take her on. It doesn’t hurt that he’s attracted to the sexy widow. Inner conflicts and outside interference push and pull this couple to a dramatically romantic conclusion.” ~ 4.5 star Top Pick from Romantic Times

_________________________________________________________________________________________

EXCERPTS…

Lord, he was certainly handsome enough to take any woman’s mind off her problems.

Or create one.

Heaven help her but no one had taught her about these three R’s in school.

Rich.

Rugged.

Red-blooded.

He epitomized everything she imagined a wealthy Outback male to be. From the tips of his brown leather boots, to bone-colored trousers a woman was tempted to rub against, over the light blue polo shirt, to his wrist where an expensive Rolex glistened in the light.

*      *      *

Just then, she came through the swinging kitchen door carrying a plate of hors-d’oeuvres. An odd jolt shot through his chest. She looked incredible in a short black dress that fitted snugly against her breasts, its thin straps emphasizing her smooth neckline and shoulders, the color a glorious foil to the silken mass of her blonde hair.

Without hesitation, he skirted the tables and caught up with her near a potted palm. Intense pleasure coursed through him when he saw the quick spurt of desire in those green eyes before she masked her expression.

She was even more beautiful tonight.

*      *      *

There may not be an ocean on her doorstep, nor soft sand underfoot as waves crashed on the beach beneath a blue sky. But something out here in the Outback – something about this untamed countryside – soothed the rawness inside her. There was nothing as bright as an Outback sky, nor as light as the wind that rustled the land to life. And nothing like the distinctive smell of eucalyptus, grasses, and tree bark all mingling in the air – a smell as unique as the sound of a cackling kookaburra.

*      *      *

“What sort of crops?”

“Cereals. Things like wheat, which we sell, and barley and oats for cattle feed.”

Then he went on to show her all the different types of paddocks from calf paddocks to weaner paddocks, breeding cow paddocks to bull paddocks. There were so many paddocks her head spun. And they weren’t tiny little parcels of land either. They stretched for miles and miles.

“Naturally I keep my best stud cows in a separate paddock closer to the yards.”

“Of course.” She understood these animals cost thousands of dollars. He’d have them where his men could keep a close eye on them.

Finally they drove up to the cattle yards. Beyond were huge sheds that Kirk said stored feed and fertilizer and machinery, and further beyond were the manager’s residence and the workmen’s cottages.

*      *      *

Vanessa was really excited about taking this hot air balloon ride. It was still dark and her excitement grew as they drove under an Outback sky alight with stars, arriving at the launch site to see the balloon being inflated. Kirk had chartered a private flight and soon they were climbing into the basket. Then they began to move, and silently they rose in the air just as the sun illuminated the horizon over the Australian desert.

The exhilaration was unbelievable as they soared high, the immensity and remoteness of the landscape stretching endlessly beneath them. They spotted kangaroos and wallabies in amongst the spinifex grasses, trees came alive with budgerigars and cockatoos.

Then they floated toward the ancient MacDonnell Ranges and the impact of it all took her breath away. “It’s stunning,” she whispered in awe.

Silence, then, “Yes,” Kirk murmured beside her. “She is.”

• Want to leave a comment?  Go to our “Say Hi!” page!